Montebello

The small town of MONTEBELLO, 135km west of Montréal on the scenic Hwy-148, in the lush Outaouais region, has a distinctive claim to fame: the world’s largest log building – the Fairmont Le Château Montebello. The town was named after the grand estate of seigneur, politician and Rebellion leader Louis-Joseph Papineau, which abuts the Château. Montebello also draws plenty of holiday-makers, thanks to a resort-friendly atmosphere that includes horseriding and boating. The largely wilderness stretch of the Outaouais region begins around 130km west of Montréal and extending along the north side of the Rivière Outaouais (Ottawa River). Once the domain of Algonquin tribes, the region was not developed until the 1800s, when it became an important centre for the lumber industry. The bulk of the activities here are of an outdoorsy nature – hiking, snowmobiling, cycling and cross-country skiing.